How can I do this book justice? 

The Women is the upcoming release from the author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone. The first half of the book follows Frances (Frankie) McGrath during her service as a nurse in Vietnam in the 1960s. The second half details her life as a veteran in a society that doesn't acknowledge or value female service members.

Frankie and her fellow Army nurses Barb and Ethel will live in my memory forever (and if you know me as a reader, just the fact that I remember all of their names shows you how much of an impact they made). Like all of Hannah's books, The Women features realistically flawed but inspiring female characters. It highlights the importance of strong female friendship, and Hannah represents the details of the Vietnam War with such care. 

I loved it.

An incredible novel about one woman's experience as a nurse during the Vietnam war.

Frankie has grown up leading a privileged life. When her brother leaves for Vietnam, she decides to join him. A time when women were not expected to be a part of the war. Joining the nursing core, she is completely taken aback but what she finds in Vietnam.

A well researched novel about the Vietnam war, the women who were part of it and how our soldiers were treated when they came home. The descriptions of the Vietnam landscape, sounds and sights of war, smells and experiences make the reader feel as though they are right there. An important novel about a challenging and changing time in America. A must read.

"Women can be heroes." These words echo in Frankie McGrath's mind as she makes the near-unfathomable decision in 1965 to enlist in the Army Nurse Corps to follow her brother, Fin, to Vietnam. When she arrives, Frankie's world bottoms out: the violence, the terror, the sheer destruction of this place--it's not the same war that people back home are talking about. With no other choice before her, Frankie throws herself into learning the ways of a wartime nurse alongside Ethel and Barb, two of the other countless women of Vietnam.

Saddled with innumerable losses and stories from the evac hospitals her loved ones could scarcely dream of, Frankie returns home to California not to the recognition her heroism deserves, but to the worlds uttered over and over: "There were no women in Vietnam." As time passes and live pulses on, Frankie finds herself constantly thrown back into her horrific, paralyzing memories of Vietnam and the fallen soldiers who now are just ghosts in her memories.

Readers, we've waited for this book for a long time. And without hesitation, I can say that "The Women" somehow, some way, tops every other Kristin Hannah novel up to this point. This story, this poignant journey that follows Frankie through war-torn Vietnam and back across time and loss and everything in between, it's unspeakably beautiful and it's also horrific. The vividness, detail, and evidence of painstaking research that Hannah has done to paint a portrait of Vietnam from a perspective that history chose to ignore for so long is nothing short of a masterpiece.

I cried through this book from the first few chapters and yet I couldn't read fast enough. This book tells the story of a war whose aftereffects still ripple through our country right now, and it gives a voice to the women who set all societal standards and expectations aside in order to send men back home to their families.

Women, Kristin Hannah declares with resounding triumph, can be heroes too.

It might be the first week of January, but I can't imagine something else topping this as my 2024 book of the year. If you pick up one novel this entire year, I implore you: let this be it.

Kristin Hannah does it yet again. I could not wait to dive into this book and once I started, I could not put it down. I was completely swept up in the time period of the Vietnam War and learned so much about how difficult life was for veterans returning (especially women). Her characters are strong, likeable, and so complex. Her writing is as flawless as ever, and as soon as I finished, I found myself looking forward to whatever hew new book will be. I would read anything she writes!

I am so glad I read this book. The historical subject matter appealed to me and I knew Kristin Hannah could write a good story. But I was a little apprehensive that a story set during the Vietnam War years might be as crushing as I found The Four Winds made the Great Depression. This turns out not to be the case.

Frankie, the protagonist of this book, isn't without her faults and challenges. She goes through some very dark times. But her story contains enough spirit, comradery and joy to help the reader power through the challenging sections. And it contains enough grit and realism to keep everything grounded. This book is a powerful statement about the war, women and men that served there and the horrible way they were treated when they returned. Recommended.

Kristen Hanna once again delivers a beautifully written book. For those who know little about the Vietnam war, it is a must read. Her characters are well-developed, the story is well structured, and the dynamics between the women involved is exhilarating..
Do yourself a favor and read this book. It’s well worth it.!

I will think about The Women for a long time. Kristin Hannah has a way of crafting moving stories that break your heart, with characters you root for and mourn with—I think The Women is her best yet.

The story centers around Frankie McGrath, a nurse from sheltered Southern California who navigates a gruesome war in Vietnam and an even more chaotic United States she returns to. There’s love and loss, family and friendships, plus more than a lifetime’s worth of trauma.

This book was personal for me. My late father was a proud Vietnam Veteran and I thought of him often while reading this. Although he did not talk much about the war, how Veterans were treated coming home from Vietnam in this book is exactly how he described it. I wish I had the opportunity to discuss this book with him, I know he wasn’t seriously hurt (although he did break a finger playing volleyball!) but I would’ve loved to learn if he crossed paths with any heroes like Frankie, Barb and Ethel.

With the challenging subject matter and all the heartbreaking trigger warnings, this book might not be for everyone. But I personally found it so immersive and transformative. As a reader, you are in the jungle with Frankie, her losses are your losses too and I get that might not be an experience everyone wants to go through. But I found it incredibly cathartic. The character arcs are well done – these women are fighters and unsung heroes to be remembered, celebrated and never forgotten. Thank you Kristin Hannah for a beautiful tribute to this generation.

I am grateful to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this gem. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is an extraordinary story and I enjoyed every powering minute of it!!!!! Kristin Hannah does it again with another bestseller in the hands of her beloved readers

FrancesMcGrath is just 17 years old when her brother is deployed to Vietnam to fight in war. Frankie wants to do her part, and becomes a nurse overseas, where she experiences traumas, heartbreak and violence, as well as friendship love and hope.

In true KH fashion, she created a world over decades (1967-1980s) where I felt truly immersed and attached to the characters. I always learn so much from KH novels, and this was no different. The emotions in the story kept me reading late into the night, and I didn’t want to stop reading despite overwhelming emotions. If you are a fan of KH, grab this one when it comes out on 2/6. No review I could write would do this story justice, I simply loved it and will be thinking about it for a long time.

There are some books that I start to read and the further I get into the book I know that I will be thinking of the characters in the book a long time after I finished the last word. The Women by Kristin Hannah is one of those books.
The writing in superb and the women are real. The characters in the story jump off the pages and into my thoughts.
Frankie McGrath makes a decision to join the Army Nurse Corps during the Vietnam War. Following her and the other women she meets while serving will forever change her life.
Thank you, Kristin Hannah, for giving readers this book. It will be forever in the heart and souls of your readers. I look forward to telling others that this is one book they should read.
Thank you NetGalley, Kristin Hannah and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of The Women. This is my personal review.

Kristin Hannah is back with another amazing, eye-opening and emotional read which I devoured over the Christmas holidays. Captivating, informative and poignant, Hannah brings her readers into the Vietnam War and tells her story through the eyes of twenty-year-old combat nurse, Frances "Frankie" McGrath. Frankie served her country by saving lives and witnessed the horrors of war only to return home to find that no one appreciated or believed the sacrifice she gave for her country.

Hannah pulls no punches describing what life was like for medical staff in Vietnam. The sounds, sights and smells were vividly described for the reader. The first half of the book was set in Vietnam and the pages flew quickly as readers are right alongside Frankie as she struggled to acclimate living in a war zone in the male-dominated war. This first part of the story moved quickly and puts readers right in the heart of the war.

"Women can be heroes."

The second half of the book focused on the aftermath of the war, when the soldiers and medical personnel returned home, often not to a warm welcome from citizens or their families for their service. Instead, they were ostracized for their role in the war - a war that was never accurately described for US citizens - and left to flounder on their own with PTSD and addiction problems. Frankie fared no better with her own family's views of her role in the war. Compounded onto her struggles was the rampant sexism and disregard she experienced as friends, acquaintances and even veterans tried to convince Frankie that women were never part of the war.

"There are no women in Vietnam, dear."

Frankie hits rock bottom and soon learned that there's a bottom under that level of pain as she struggled to find her way in a world that doesn't acknowledge her suffering, her skill or her sacrifice. Her experiences with PTSD, addiction, betrayal and depression were heartbreaking and sobering to read.

Frankie is a fascinating and flawed character and readers go along on her journey from idealistic and inexperienced young woman to a woman who finds her calling and strength. There is some romance within the pages, but the female friendships really shone in this book.

Hannah unpacks the actions of the US government from hiding stats from citizens, to secretly bombing villages and using cancer-causing substances to eradicate humans and vegetation. As a Canadian, I knew the basics about the Vietnam War, the protests and the aftermath of soldiers coming home to a country that didn't support them. But I had never given thought about the women. Thank you, Kristin Hannah, for shining a light on the experiences and voices of the women who played important roles in war.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to St Martin's Press for the advanced digital copy which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

I'd like to thank Kristin Hannah and St. Martins Press for the early review copy of this book. Unfortunately, I decided not to continue reading after 25%.

The reasons I decided not to continue were:
1. I found the main character, Frankie, unlikable and annoying.
2. There was something about the writing that fell flat for me. The characters were dull and and even moments that should have felt more exciting lacked any suspense or anticipation.

I hope that other readers are able to connect with this book.

⭐️: 4.5/5

When 20-year-old nursing student Frankie’s brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she decides to join the Army nursing corps and follow in his footsteps. When she arrives in country, she is overwhelmed by the chaos of war, and leans on the friendships and relationships she creates with her fellow doctors and nurses. However, her time in Vietnam is only the beginning, when she learns that the real battle is re-adjusting to life back at home, rife with protests and a public who would like nothing better than to forget Vietnam altogether.

I will jump to read anything that Kristin Hannah writes, especially if it’s in the historical fiction genre. While I will say that this was not my absolute favorite book by her, it was still one of the best books I’ve read recently. I’ve been on such a historical fiction kick recently, and I’ve been trying to branch out to books that aren’t only focused on the WWII timeframe. This one, focused on the Vietnam era, brought focus and attention to a group that is not talked about much in a historical context: the women who served in Vietnam. It broke my heart every time that someone invalidated Frankie and her friend’s experiences by telling them “there were no women in Vietnam” and Frankie’s story was so intimate and emotional that I couldn’t stop reading and rooting for her. She was a great main character, maybe my favorite of all the Kristin Hannah books I’ve read. The book itself was a little too one-timeline for me, since I do prefer historical fiction books with dual timelines, and although this was a fantastic book, I couldn’t help but compare it to other favorites such as The Nightingale and The Four Winds, which I found to be just slightly better.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this free eARC!!

I absolutely loved this. The time, the setting, the characters, all of it. Frankie is a character that will stick with me for a long time. Her idealism and then what she endured, truly a remarkable story. It showed me a different side of a war that is talked down about and the people who served in it. There are a few books from this author that I haven’t yet read, they just went way up on my TBR.

Wow! What an incredible and heart wrenching story! The amount of time and research Hannah must have put into this story is incredible. This is my favorite book of hers to date. Frankie’s story will always stay with me.

Written by an author who is well-known for her stories of strong women. Here Hannah showcases the brave women who served as nurses in Vietnam. Frankie McGrath grew up living with her brother on the island of Coronado, off the coast of California. The siblings are very close and after he leaves for Vietnam in 1965, she is anxious to prove she too can serve. So, after graduating with her degree in nursing, she volunteers to follow her brother’s example. But just before she ships out, she and her family learn that her brother has died. There’s no way to stop her commission and she remains determined to prove she can contribute to her family’s commitment to the military.

Frankie is ill prepared for the hospital filled with the wounded and the dying. It’s a baptism by fire as she must quickly adapt. Fortunately, she has two roommates who become her best friends. The two nurses help her learn how to adjust to life in a warzone. Every day there are grotesque injuries to be tended to and soldiers’ spirits to attempt to lift.

There is some personal drama that adds to the intensity of the situation. Frankie’s world is expanded as she meets attractive men who provide a welcome distraction from the horror of war. Upon completing her tour of duty and returning home, she has trouble adjusting and is rebuffed by the V.A. for not “serving” like the men. Parts of her relationship story are a little contrived but that is the only criticism and it is outweighed by the powerful story of nurses doing their best amidst lives torn apart.

Hannah has masterfully given us an account of the toll paid by the brave nurses who volunteered to serve and our need to acknowledge them with consideration and admiration. Like the nurse monument in Washington that was erected 11 years after the Vietnam Wall was built, this story and its tribute to the nurses is overdue.

It is the reality of the war that really hits home. On the personal side, my family experienced many of the same events from the book. The letters written home speaking about sports and movies, the hooches with the sandbags, the dangers of helicopter travel, the military arriving to announce a death to the family – these all ring true for my family. My brother left for Vietnam in 1969 and my family lived through the nightmare of the war.

Men and women who returned home from Vietnam without fanfare and accolades for their service, some badly disabled and some returning (like my brother) in a box, deserve recognition and gratitude for the sacrifices they made. A tremendous thank you to Hannah for calling attention to an ugly war that cost so much and to the women and men who came home different than when they left. This was hard to read because of my personal connection, but it brought back memories of someone I hold dear. Wars affect not only those who serve but also the families who are left to mourn or pick up the pieces of a life drastically changed. This is another stunning book by an author who has given us powerful novels showcasing the resiliency and strength of women. It is not to be missed.

I was intrigued by the premise and appreciate the focus on this untold history, but the execution wasn’t quite there for me. It the beginning and middle are too stretched out, especially the middle, and then the end is too rushed. The point of the book being called The Women doesn’t fully resonate until the end, and it feels just thrown in. The book had a lot of telling instead of showing, particularly with the relationships, both the female friendships and romantic relationships. I would’ve like to see this told in multiple POVs so not so much happened to just Frankie (especially with Jamie and Rye) and would’ve liked to see more of the women Frankie helps in Montana later in the book. It felt like more of the story should have been there, rather than that feeling like more of an afterthought and wrap up. Not my favorite of Kristen Hannah’s, especially not when I love The Nightingale and The Great Alone so much.

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This booked wrecked me in the best possible way. It made me cry, smile, gasp- this book was everything. The Women follows Frances “Frankie” McGrath, a nurse in the Army who served in the Vietnam War. The story chronicles Frankie’s time in the war, which is obviously extremely graphic, and her life after coming home from war. I found myself googling as there was a lot I didn’t know about the Vietnam War, like how these nurses came home and people told them there weren’t women in the war. Kristin Hannah did an amazing job with this book and she obviously spent a lot of time with her research. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially for my nurse/healthcare friends. It will be a book I buy a copy of when it comes out in February.

Thanks to NetGalley & St Martins Press for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book.

"In this crazy, chaotic, divided world that was run by men, you could count on the women."

This book is a masterpiece. Without a doubt Kristin Hannah's best work yet. I kept thinking about the immense amount of research she had to complete to do this book justice. This book was a heartbreaking, gut wrenching read that I could not put down. I read the second half of in in a single day. I sadly cannot think of any historical fiction I've read about the Vietnam War, and it's so important that Hannah wrote this book. I absolutely loved the main character, Frankie.Based on ages and dates at the beginning, she was born the same year as my mom. Though my mom did not serve in the military, I remember her talking a bit about the Vietnam War era. Not only was she from the San Diego area (like Frankie) she also lived in DC during the early 70's. I'd love to talk with her about this book but sadly she passed away a couple years ago.

The first half of the book was Frankie's experience in Vietnam as a war nurse. As gut wrenching as this part was, I couldn't stop reading and thinking about all the real life nurses who had similar experiences. The second half of the book covered Frankie's time after returning from Vietnam, and it was just as gut wrenching. The way the veterans were treated was horrible, and this was a world before PTSD was understood. Many tears were shed reading this book.

This book will stick with me for a long time and is on my all time favorites list for sure. It will absolutely be on my Best of 2024 list, even if I read it in January. It's THAT good.

This might be one of the best books I’ve ever read. Hannah does a great job portraying females in the military. It’s amazing.